Washington Gardener Magazine December 2014

DECEMBER 2014 VOL. 9 NO. 7

WWW.WASHINGTONGARDENER.COM

WASHINGTON WAS W WASHINGTO ASHINGTO

g gardener

The magazine for gardening enthusiasts in the Mid-Atlantic region.

Praying Mantis: Friend or Foe December Garden Tasks Local Garden Events Listing

Thomas Rainer —

at the Intersection of Wild Plants and Human Culture

Growing Citrus Indoors Maryland Master Gardeners End Phone Line Grass Roots Exhibit at US National Arboretum New Grafted Tomato on Potato Roots

Season’s Greenings at the US Botanic Garden

Haven’s Natural Brew Tea conditions the soil so your plant’s root system can better absorb nutrients needed to build a strong, healthy root base. The manure tea can also be applied to compost piles to accelerate the composting process.

Order some today at: www.manuretea.com

o oo ooo

RESOURCESsourc

Need a Garden Club Speaker?

Washington Gardener Magazine’s staff and writers are available to speak to groups and garden clubs in the greater DC region.

Call 301.588.6894 or email wgardenermag@aol.com for available dates, rates, and topics.

Burtonsville, MD (301) 821-7777

RARE AND EXCEPTIONAL PLANTS FOR THE DISCRIMINATING GARDENER AND COLLECTOR

• Ponds - Waterfalls • Disappearing Fountains • “Pondless” Waterfalls www.premierpond.com

Barry Glick Sunshine Farm and Gardens HC 67 Box 539 B Renick, WV 24966, USA Email: barry@sunfarm.com

www.sunfarm.com

Specializing in Garden

Renewals & Renovations Yard By Yard Makeovers, LLC 7304 Carroll Avenue, #229 Takoma Park, MD 20912 301-270-4642 yardmakeovers@yahoo.com www.yardmakeovers.com

We can reshape and beautify neglected yards.

Green Spring Gardens

www.greenspring.org

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DECEMBER 2014

A “must visit” for everyone in the metropolitan Washington, DC, area. It’s a year-round gold mine of information and inspiration for the home gardener. It’s an outdoor classroom for children and their families to learn about plants and wildlife. It’s also a museum, a national historic site that offers glimpses into a long, rich history with colonial origins.

Located at 4603 Green Spring Rd., Alexandria, VA. Information: 703-642-5173.

INSIDEcontents

Season’s Greenings at the US Botanic Garden A model of the US Capitol Building built with natural materials, is on display in the US Botanic Garden Conservatory’s Garden Court now through January 4, 2015. The Conservatory is open every day of the year, from 10am to 5pm, free of charge.

Photos by Kathy Jentz.

FEATURES and COLUMNS BOOKreviews 8-10 Sissinghurst, Native Plants of the Mid Atlantic, The Roots of My Obsession GARDENnews 11 MD Master Gardeners, Grass Roots Exhibit at USNA KNOWitall 19 Indoor Citrus, Acidic Compost, Poinsettia Care Tips, Trimming Evergreens INSECTindex 16 Praying Mantis NEIGHBORnetwork 14-15 Thomas Rainer, Landscape Architect and Author PHOTOcontestentry 18 PHILLYflowershowtrip 17 SEEDexchangedetails 6-7

DEPARTMENTS

ADVERTISINGindex BLOGlinks EDITORletter GARDENcontest LOCALevents MONTHLYtasklist NEXTissue NEWPLANTspotlight RESOURCESsources

20 10 4 5 12-13 10 11 10 2

ON THE COVER

Landscape architect Thomas Rainer.

Photo by Daniel Weil.

In Our Next Issue: JANUARY 2015 Grow Great Celery

Robinson Nature Center Monkshood (Aconitum napellus)

and much more...

Be sure you are subscribed to:

click on the “subscribe” link at http://washingtongardener. blogspot.com/ DECEMBER 2014

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EDITORletter

Credits Kathy Jentz Editor/Publisher & Advertising Sales Washington Gardener 826 Philadelphia Ave. Silver Spring, MD 20910 Phone: 301.588.6894 wgardenermag@aol.com www.washingtongardener.com Call today to place your ad with us!

Ruth E. Thaler-Carter Proofreader Cover price: $4.99 Back issues: $6.00 Subscription: $20.00 Foreign subscription: $24.00

Are All the Answers Online?

Over the past nine years of publishing Washington Gardener Magazine, I have exhibited at more than 100 local garden events, home shows, and green living festivals. At every event, I can count on being asked a few questions that give me pause. Usually they are along the line of “Is this publication for Washington state gardeners?” — I get that a lot, even at events where I’m standing under our “local gardening” banner in the Washington Convention Center in the heart of Washington, DC. The other question I get all too often is “Where is the closest bathroom?” and yes, I always know the answer and share it, but really, am I an information booth?

At the recent Green Festival, I had a troubling encounter. A college-aged girl approached our booth and asked, “What zone are we in?” I told her and she said, “Thanks, now I don’t need to subscribe to your magazine. I can just look up all the information online and be set.” She then flounced off. I was flabbergasted!

Is that really how people think? Good luck to them. We experienced gardeners know that our local USDA hardiness zone is but one tiny piece in our Mid-Atlantic growing mosaic. Zone 7 here is far different from Zone 7 in the Pacific Northwest or in the UK. Our soil, for starters, will be the biggest factor new gardeners will need to learn to contend with and few free online resources even mention it.

If you only search online for your gardening information, then you will be missing about 98% of what is out there. Contrary to popular belief, the Internet only contains a small fraction of our collective horticultural knowledge. Often what I find is it is an echo-chamber with the same stale “facts” repeated ad nauseam. Nothing beats personal experience and sharing from veteran gardeners.

To really delve into the research of a gardening topic or question, I first visit the National Agricultural Library in Beltsville, MD, and see what is in their collection.

Then, I interview folks on the front lines of research and experiments at our many local public gardens. Finally, I turn to those trusty gardeners who have accumulated decades of local gardening wisdom. They are the true research treasures and you won’t find them through Google or Bing.

Happy gardening!

Kathy Jentz, Editor/Publisher, Washington Gardener, wgardenermag@aol.com 4

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Address corrections should be sent to the address above.

• Washington Gardener Blog: www.washingtongardener.blogspot.com • Washington Gardener Archives: http://issuu.com/washingtongardener • Washington Gardener Discussion Group: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/ WashingtonGardener/ • Washington Gardener Twitter Feed: www.twitter.com/WDCGardener • Washington Gardener is a womanowned business. We are proud to be members of: · Garden Writers Association · Think Local First DC · DC Web Women · Green America Magazine Leaders Network · Green America Business Network Retail stores wishing to sell our publication should contact Kathy Jentz at the contact information above.

To order reprints, contact Wright’s Reprints at 877.652.5295, ext. 138.

Volume 9, Number 7 ISSN 1555-8959 © 2014 Washington Gardener All rights reserved. Published quarterly.

No material may be reproduced without prior written permission. This magazine is purchased by the buyer with the understanding that the information presented is from various sources from which there can be no warranty or responsibility by the publisher as to legality, completeness, or technical accuracy.

READERcontt

Reader Contest: Dominion GardenFest of Lights For our December 2014 Washington Gardener Reader Contest, Washington Gardener is giving away a family fourpack of tickets to Dominion GardenFest of Lights in Richmond, VA. The Dominion GardenFest of Lights, A Legacy in Lights: 120 Years from Bicycle Club to Botanical Garden runs through January 12, 2015. (Note that it is closed December 24-25). A holiday tradition featuring more than half-a-million twinkling lights, hand-crafted botanical decorations, model trains, holiday dinners, firepit with s’mores and hot chocolate (for purchase), nightly family activities, and more. The region’s ultimate holiday extravaganza! Here’s more on this year’s show: http://www.lewisginter.org/news/media-room/DominionGardenFestofLights2012. php To enter to win the family four-pack of tickets to the Lewis Ginter Gardenfest of Lights, send an email with “Gardenfest of Lights” in the subject line to WashingtonGardener@rcn.com by 5:00pm on Friday, December 19. In the body of the email, please include your full name, email, and mailing address as well as your New Year’s gardening resolutions. The ticket winner will be announced and notified by December 21.

Local Gardening Calendar

Each month includes a list of what to do in the garden for local DC-MD-VA and Mid-Atlantic gardeners, along with a gorgeous photo of a flower from a local public garden collection.

Go to http://www.cafepress.com/ washgardener to order this new calendar for gifts and to treat yourself!

Photo credit: Sarah Hauser, Virginia Tourism Commission

Caption Contest We asked our Facebook page followers to caption this photo of Versace, one of the Washington Gardener Magazine staff cats, who commandeered our to-do list and day planner!

Look for more monthly caption contests at the Facebook.com/ WashingtonGardenerMagazine page.

Winning Captions:

Versace notes photo by Kathy Jentz

“9:15 Plant catnip 9:45 Take swipe at orchid 9:50 Plant catnip 10:15 Cat nap 12:00 Lunch 1:00 Plant catnip.” ~ Julie Blackwell “Where’s the eraser on this pen? There shouldn’t be anything on my calendar. Ever.” ~ Wendy Hudgins “I’ve got plans that don’t include you!” ~ Carol Heitmuller Carrier “If you’d just get me an iPhone, I could give up this Little Black Book.” ~ Cathy Wells

DECEMBER 2014

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Join Us For: Seed Swapping Door Prizes Planting Tips Expert Speakers Goody Bags Washington Gardener Magazine presents the

Washington Gardener magazine, the publication for DC-area gardening enthusiasts, is hosting the seventh annual Washington Seed Exchange at Behnke Nurseries and Green Spring Gardens. These seed swaps are inperson and face-to-face. You bring your extra seeds and swap them with other gardeners. Everyone will leave with a bag full of seeds, new garden friends, and expert planting advice.

When

On Saturday, January 31, 2015 in MD and on Saturday, February 7, 2015 in VA from 12:30–4:00PM (Foul weather that day? Call 240.603.1461, for updates about possible snow/ice delay.)

10th Annual Washington Gardener

Where

on Saturday, January 31, 2015 National Seed Swap Day! from 12:30–4:00PM

How to Register

Seed Exchange at Behnke Nurseries in Beltsville, MD AND

on Saturday, February 7, 2015 from 12:30–4:00PM

at Green Spring Gardens in Alexandria, VA

Registration is now open at www.washingtongardener.com.

Space is limited, so act today!

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Overview

Washington Gardener Magazine subscribers get $5 off the $20 attendee fee!

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DECEMBER 2014

We are holding dual Seed Exchanges one week apart on opposite sides of the Washington Beltway. We urge you to attend the one closest to you.

One exchange will be held in the Visitor’s Center Auditorium of Behnke Nurseries, 11300 Baltimore Ave., Beltsville, MD. The other will be at Green Spring Gardens 4603 Green Spring Road, Alexandria, VA. Fill out the form on the opposite page.

Send the form in along with payment to Washington Gardener, 826 Philadelphia Ave., Silver Spring, MD 20910, Attn: SE Registration. Please make checks out to “Washington Gardener.”

Registration fee is $20 per person in advance. Friends of Brookside (FOB) members, Friends of Green Springs members, and current Washington Gardener subscribers receive a discount rate of $15 per person.

We strongly urge you to register in advance. There is a limited enrollment of 100 participants at each location and we expect both to sell out, so be sure to register early!

We are GREEN!!!

Garden Book and Seed Catalog Exchange

Seed Exchange attendees are encouraged to bring their used or new garden books and seed catalogs to swap and share at this year’s event. We also ask you to bring your own water bottle or reusable mug and a home-made nametag. We will have a “best nametag” contest, so get crafty!

Washington Gardener Magazine’s 10th Annual

Seed Exchange Details

If You Have Seeds to Bring and Swap

Please package them in resealable plastic zipper or wax sandwich baggies. Put an average of 20 seeds per baggy — more for small seeds like lettuce, fewer for large seeds like acorns. Label each baggy with a white sticker (such as Avery standard 5160 address label sheets) giving all the information you have on the seeds. If known, include the plant's common and scientific names; its soil, sun, and watering needs; and, its origins — where and when you collected the seeds. If you don't know all the information, that is okay; just provide as much as you can.

Yes, you can bring unused or opened commercial seed packs also.

What If You Don't Have Any Seeds to Swap?

Come anyway! Even if you don’t have any seeds to trade, you are welcome to attend!

We'll have plenty of extra seed contributions on hand and many attendees will be there just to learn, network, and prepare for next year's seed collecting.

Education Program

Expert speakers from the local gardening community will give short talks on seed collection and propagation tips. There will be ample time for individual Q&A throughout the program with the featured speakers, and invited experts as well.

Schedule

(Note: This schedule is subject to change.)

12:00-12:30 Registration check-in 12:30-12:40 Introductions 12:40-1:20 Gardening talk 1:20-1:55 Gardening talk 2:00-2:15 Snack break and room reset 2:15-2:30 Seed swap preview time 2:30-3:00 Seed swap 3:00-3:30 Photo Contest winners 3:30-4:00 Door prizes and closing talk

How Do We Swap?

As you check-in staff will collect your seeds and place them at the appropriate seed category tables.

You will be assigned a random seed swap number. There will be a short period for attendees to preview all the seeds brought in and available for swapping. You will be called in by your number to pick a seed pack from each of the category tables (if desired).

After the initial seed swap is complete, attendees are free to take any of the left over seeds and to trade seeds with each other.

Dividing of packets is encouraged and extra baggies with labels will be on hand for that purpose.

What Types of Seeds?

Seed swap categories will include natives, edibles, herbs, exotics, annuals, perennials, and woodies (trees/shrubs). If you can presort your seeds in advance into whichever of these seven major categories fits best, that would help us speed up the process on the swap day.

Door Prizes! Goodie Bags!

Each attendee will receive a goodie bag at the seed swap. The bags include seeds, publications, and garden items donated by our sponsors. In addition, we have some incredible door prizes to give away especially for area gardeners.

If your organization would like to contribute seeds or garden-related products for the goodie bags and door prizes, please contact Kathy Jentz at 301.588.6894 by January 23.

10th Annual Washington Gardener Seed Exchange Advance Registration Form

Please fill out this form and mail with your check/money order by January 27, 2014 to: Washington Gardener Magazine, 826 Philadelphia Ave., Silver Spring MD 20910

Name:____________________________________________________________________________________ Street Address:____________________________________________________________________________ Email:____________________________________________________________________________________ Seed Exchange Date and Location:  Jan 25 at Brookside Gardens  Feb 1 at Green Spring Gardens (We will only use your email address for Seed Exchange notices and will never share them with anyone else.)

Seed Exchange Attendee Fee: $20.00 __________ Discount (if eligible*): -$5.00 __________ Optional: Washington Gardener Magazine Annual Subscription: $20.00 __________ TOTAL_____________ *The following group members are eligible to pay the discount attendee rate of $15.00, please CIRCLE if one applies to you: • Washington Gardener Magazine subscribers • Friends of Brookside Gardens • Friends of Green Spring Gardens DECEMBER 2014

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A beautiful book for gardeners and nature lovers

BOOKreviews

A

Sissinghurst: Vita Sackville-West and the Creation of a Garden

By Vita Sackville-West and Sarah Raven Publisher: St. Martin’s Press List Price: $34.99 Reviewer: Jim Dronenburg To misquote Dickens: Vita is dead.

There is no doubt about that. Vita is dead as a door-nail. And yet the living author lists her as primary author, before her own name. There is substantial reason for this; the majority of the book is a collection of passages from Vita’s garden columns.

Big deal, you say. They’ve been collected before. And a collection made out of the collections.

True, but in the previous cases, they have been chronological, either strictly in time, or following the course of a hypothetical year. This one is by SUBJECTS. And best of all, it is annotated and elaborated on by the second author, Sarah Raven, a writer, cook, broadcaster, and teacher in her own right, and married to Vita’s grandson Adam Nicolson and living with him at Sissinghurst. This has two immense advantages; first, that every square inch of Sissinghurst is familiar to her on a daily basis, as it could never be with an outside author, and second, family archival material and photographs are available that your reviewer (who adores Vita Sackville-West) has not seen published before. AND, one hint is dropped that there is still a massive amount of material yet unpublished…..how’s THAT for a teaser? And it also covers the living areas in the buildings in far more detail of original (re)construction than a book on the garden proper.

This book does NOT cover what Adam Nicolson’s own book, Sissinghurst: An Unfinished History, has; it is not a repetition of that. Instead, there are various subject headings. And of course, it starts with two historicalchronicling parts, “Finding the Dream” and “Sissinghurst’s Design.” In the historical parts, things are stated in Ms. Raven’s voice, but with a good deal of Vita Sackville-West’s and Harold Nicolson’s correspondence and notes thrown in. For the other sub8

WASHINGTON GARDENER

DECEMBER 2014

visual feast, Native Plants of the Mid Atlantic illustrates sixty historic and beautiful jectgarden headings “Cram, flowers(examples and woodlandare plants.

Native plants suchcram,” as these form the backbone of terrestrial cram, “Flowering shrubs,” and ecosystems, andRaven forty detailed of “Scents”), Ms. startspaintings out with butterflies and moths emphasize vital plant-insect theme and variations on “Vita did/ relationships.

Entertaining narratives describe plants, their said/thought thus and so” andthethen habitats, and their usefulness in gardens starts in with quotes from her garden or wild areas. Fascinating notes columns — but annotated and interrelate ways Native Americans and colonists used plants at for food, spersed with what is happening and tools.

Sissinghurst frommedicine, Vita’s time up to the We hope our book will inspire present, and with thetocurrent readers add moreauthor’s native plants to their gardens, to protect observations and helping experiences. our fragile environment.

This that Vita planted is still

BOTANICAL ARTISTS FOR EDUCATION & THE ENVIRONMENT

The bea illustrat pollinat and the is outsta accompa fascinat on polli life cycle as histor and oth fascinat makes th book is a anyone w plants.

there; this that she put here U.S. Botanic Garden is gone butThe others have been This is a was thrilled to be a part planted elsewhere; so beautifu of this book and as it embodies in the ch we know be vital – forth. Ms.what Raven is astoreadstandard our world is better and Sackville-West richer with fine botanical able as Vita studies w art, and the plants in our backyards, in our was... and is saying a lot. naturali woods, and along the that roadsides are amazing!

One must look Ms. Raven Botanical Native Visit the exhibition at thePaintings, U.S. Botanic Garden — Holly up Shimizu American 15 Atlantic: - June 15, 2014 Director, Botanic andExecutive see what elseU.S. she has Garden Plants of February the Mid A Book for written.

Artists and Gardeners Order securely for $39.95 from www.starbooks.biz The last part of the book is Edited by Bonnie S. Driggers titled “The Recent Past.” It details the Publisher: Star Books gardeners, starting under Vita, and List Price: $39.95 continuing to the present (2013). It Reviewer: Liz McGuinness points out that Sissinghurst is NOT a What a gorgeous book this is! It presmuseum, but exactly what Vita planted ents 60 reproductions of original and only what Vita planted. One quote botanical paintings and drawings of stands out, from Pamela Schwerdt, native plants, as well as some of their who was co-head gardener for 20-plus pollinators. The artwork is accompayears there: “Had Lady Nicolson been nied by some information about the alive, she would always have been addplant and its role in the garden. The ing plants. We were so thankful that book was produced by Botanical Artists somewhere along the line somebody for Education & the Environment, a decided that Sissinghurst was going Washington, DC-based group dedicated to be a place where we could go on to teaching more about plants, their adding rather than someone absoconservation, and their complexity. The lutely stopping the clock.” That had art was selected from a juried show not occurred to your reviewer before. created by some of the finest botanical The National Trust, which governs artists in the country.

Sissinghurst, has made changes to As the introduction states, this book accommodate the massive influx of is for lovers of art and plants. The visitors (replacing some paths with York range of plants presented includes stone, for example), and has done a trees, vines, herbaceous plants, ferns, great deal of preservation and restoraand orchids. The pollinators included in tion to the structure of the Elizabethan the art include butterflies, moths, catbrick. It is the larger Sissinghurst that erpillars, hummingbirds, etc. is addressed here.

It is impossible to choose a favorVita is dead. Dead as a door-nail. ite part of this wonderful book, but a And yet she and Harold Nicolson still few illustrations stand out. American live. And Sissinghurst is not a ghost, Beautyberry by Karen Coleman is but a living, evolving, growing thing. lovely because it realistically depicts Buy this book. I cannot recommend it the imperfections we usually find in highly enough. Buy this book. nature. Azure Bluet with March Blue Violet, Maple and Small Cabbage White Jim Dronenburg is an accountant by day, an Butterflies by Margaret Farr depicts Irish harper/singer by night, and a Behnkes the flowering plant and a whole scene Nursery weekend warrior to support his around it including the soil underneath. expanding gardens in Knoxville, MD.

BOOKreviews Cardinalflower by Annie Patterson stands out for the vivid vermillion color.

It is accompanied by The Ruby-throated Hummingbird by Kandy Phillips, which is almost equally as vivid. Cinnamon Fern by Judith C. Towers is a wonderful painting in which the delicate fiddleheads are juxtaposed with lush clumps of moss. Each piece of art is lovely in its own way. Regrettably, space does not allow us to mention all of them.

American Botanical Paintings, Native Plants of the Mid Atlantic is a feast for the eyes. It is a book to curl up with on a cold winter day when you cannot be out in the garden. It makes a great coffee table book and would be an excellent Christmas present for friends or family who enjoy art or gardening.

Liz McGuinness is certified master gardener in Washington, DC.

The Roots Of My Obsession: Thirty Gardeners Reveal Why They Garden Edited by Thomas C. Cooper Publisher: Timber Press List Price: $14.95 Reviewer: Teri Speight When you read about gardening as much as I do, finding out why some of your favorite garden writers garden is quite interesting. The writers who participated in this collection of short essays vary from Ken Druse, Daniel Hinkley, and Penelope Hobbhouse to Amy Stewart, and Roger Swain to Tovah Martin just to name a few. It was like partaking of a 30-course meal with appetizers of how some started gardening, a main course of how some started gardening out of necessity, to a dessert of the sheer joy of gardening, a passion for connecting with the earth.

One common theme that resonated throughout this book was how gardening embraces a nurturing of plants, the Earth, and other like-minded people.

Whether the writers grew up in the shadows of a grandparent or parent, or had a childhood of roaming throughout the woods and watching Mother Nature at work, gardening seemed to be an act of love. In the words of Amy Stewart, gardening is a verb. It gives us something to pick at, Ms. Stewart explains, as nature enjoys being picked at. Tony Avent remembers spending

considerable time with his dad as he was an avid gardener. After visiting Wayside Gardens with his dad as a child and realizing that it was not what he expected, Mr. Avent promised to have a mailorder nursery, so people could come and visit and not be disappointed.

Anna Pavord states that gardening instills calm, slows her down, and puts worrying in proportion. I can certainly identify with this.

Every essay in this book certainly brings to the mind about why we garden. For the avid reader who loves to garden, this book is an enjoyable banquet of food for the soul. It just may help you identify why you garden.

Teresa Speight is a native Washingtonian, who resides in District Heights, MD. She owns Cottage in the Court Landscape Consulting. She can be reached at cottageinthecourt@gmail.com.

Love Reading?

These books were reviewed by volunteer members of the Washington Gardener Reader Panel.

We are looking for a few additional volunteers who live in the greater Washington, DC, region to serve on our Reader Panel.

This will consist of about two email exchanges per month. Reader Panelists may also be asked to review new gardening books and test out new garden plants, tools, and seeds.

To join the Washington Gardener Volunteer Reader Panel, please send an email with your name and address to: wgardenermag@aol.com. We look forward to having you be a vital part of our local publication and its gardening mission. o

Y ou Can Make a Difference. . .

by Sharing Your Harvest

Plant an extra row in your garden and deliver the harvest to a local food bank or shelter. The need is great!

With your help, PAR can continue to make a difference for America’s most vulnerable.

Call our toll-free number (877.GWAA.PAR) or visit our website at www.gardenwriters.org/par for more information.

DECEMBER 2014

WASHINGTON GARDENER

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GARDENnews

Quick Links to Recent Washington Gardener Blog Posts

• Native Spotlight: Red Osier Dogwood • The Story of LeDroit Park • Paperwhites: You Can Grow That • Video Story of Button Farm • Jan Kirsh, Eastern Shore Landscape Designer See more Washington Gardener blog posts at WashingtonGardener.Blogspot.com.

December Garden To-Do List

New Plant Spotlight Grafted Ketchup ‘N’ Fries™

Potatoes and tomatoes harvested off the same plant. This exciting grafted combination was first introduced to U.K. home gardeners last year, and was a smashing success. Now for the first time, this same tomato/potato grafted combination, known as Ketchup ‘n’ Fries, is being exclusively offered mailorder to American gardeners by Territorial Seed Company (http://www.territorialseed.com/product/grafted-tomtatoketchup-n-fries). Plants will be available in local garden centers this spring.

According to Garden Center magazine, “Luther Burbank, the ‘Wizard of Santa Rosa’ astounded the gardening world in the early 1900s with the first known graft of a tomato stem onto potato roots. His comment that ‘... the results of this strange alliance were interesting to the last degree’ was definitely an understatement. The practicality of such a vegetable union was way ahead of its time and horticulturists have striven to perfect this possibility for the last century.” This recent effort has been in the works for over 15 years in Europe.

This thoroughly tested duo is the ultimate container plant, but will do equally well in the open garden.

Tomatoes are members of the potato family and are therefore naturally compatible with potatoes. Each Ketchup ‘n’ Fries plant is hand-grafted to create this unique double-cropping novelty. There is no genetic modification — it’s an allnatural process. o 10

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• Keep watering your poinsettias and give them plenty of light. Ensure they are away from drafts and that the pots drain freely.

• Last chance to plant bulbs or, if you have waited until the ground is frozen, pot them up for forcing indoors.

• Gather holiday greens. Some, like holly and boxwood, benefit from being pruned by growing thicker.

• Feed birds and provide them with a fresh water source.

• Check houseplants, and any plants you brought indoors for the winter, for insects.

• Provide some special protection to tender or early flowering plants like Camellias.

• Stake newly planted large trees or shrubs to protect them from winter winds.

• Check any tropical or summer-blooming bulbs, corms, tubers, and bare root plants in storage for rot or desiccation.

• Apply scale and dormant oil treatment to evergreens.

• Spread ashes from wood fires on your vegetable beds.

• Keep succulents and cacti on the dry side.

• Water your cut Christmas tree daily.

• Gently remove layers of snow from outdoor evergreens with a broom.

• Start organizing your pile of incoming garden catalogs.

• Keep an eye out for bark damage from rabbits and deer.

• Spray broadleaf evergreens with anti-desiccant to prevent dehydration.

• Use the branches from your Christmas tree as bedding mulch or as a windbreak.

• Keep watering newly planted trees and shrubs as needed.

• Cover strawberry beds with straw or pine needles.

• Prune stone fruit trees like cherries, plums, and peaches.

• Clean, sharpen, and store your garden tools.

• Reduce fertilizing of indoor plants (except Cyclamen).

• Set up a humidifier for indoor plants, or at least place them in pebble trays.

• Continue to rotate houseplants to promote even growth.

• Attend a local garden club meeting.

• Start new indoor plants from cuttings — try an easy one such as violets.

• Check the plants under tall evergreens and under the eaves of the house to see that they have sufficient moisture.

• Weed. Weed. Weed.

• Pick a budding gardener on your gift list to give some inspirational garden books and magazines; then watch them blossom.

• Store your fertilizer and seeds in rodent-proof containers.

• Do any filling and grading around your yard. The soil will settle during the winter months.

• Vent cold frames on sunny days.

• Avoid walking in frozen planting beds.

• Remove and destroy gypsy moth egg masses.

• Clean your gutters.

• Prune maples, dogwoods, birch, elm, and walnut — if needed.

• Some alternatives to de-icing salts include sand, beet juice sugars, light gravel (grit), or non-clumping kitty litter. Using de-icing salts around driveways and sidewalks can harm your garden plants and turf. o

GARDENnews

Maryland Master Gardeners to Focus on Digital Outreach/Service Since its inception in 1990, the Home & Garden Information Center (HGIC) at the University of Maryland has adapted to the changing needs of its audience, both in gardening topics and teaching methods. Recorded phone tips, inventories of printed publications, and a snailmail newsletter are some of the information delivery methods they’ve used, and discontinued, over the years.

In the mid-1990s, they developed a web site; then in 2004, a web-based question-and-answer service. Over the past five years, they’ve added videos, an online newsletter, and social media tools. Increases in web site, blog, and YouTube traffic, along with the growth of the MD Master Gardener program, have coincided with an 80% reduction in phone calls (from a peak in 1992). They stress that this decline is no reflection on their fantastic horticulture consultants, known for their professionalism, expertise, and practical answers.

They are ending the phone service as of December 22, 2014. According to Jon Traunfeld, HGIC director and Extension specialist, “This difficult decision will allow our horticulture consultants to focus on ‘Ask an Expert,’ improve and expand the web site, and increase social media outreach. This will help us reach a larger and more diverse audience and provide you with the up-to-date information you’ve come to expect.”

If you’ve been calling the 800#, you will need to get in the habit of sending questions through the HGIC web site at http://extension.umd.edu/hgic.

Just click “Ask Maryland’s Gardening Experts” on the homepage. Questions can be sent day and night. Please attach photos if possible. An email answer from one of their horticulture consultants will be delivered within 48 hours.

There are also several in-person “Ask a Master Gardener-Plant Clinics” across the state from April through September, where Master Gardener volunteers, in conjunction with the University of Maryland Extension, provide information to home gardeners at county libraries and other locations. o

Grass Roots Initiative at the National Arboretum The “Grass Roots” outdoor turfgrass education and display exhibit at the National Arboretum in Washington, DC, was christened with a Grand Opening on Thursday, October 16. About 75 people, including exhibit sponsors, industry reps, USDA personnel, National Arboretum staff, and others, attended the event, which included tours of the site, an official ribbon cutting ceremony, refreshments, and a meet-and-greet.

The following weekend, the exhibit opened for the public at the Arboretum.

There was a table full of lawn and turf information, a scavenger hunt (with prizes for the kids), a “grow grass in a cup” kids activity, bubble mowers for little ones to “mow like Daddy,” croquet set-up, soccer goals and balls on the natural and synthetic fields, and plastic putters for the kids and “real” putters for adults to try their hand on the green.

Geoff Rinehart, Grass Roots coordinator, gave tours of the exhibit and answered many lawn and turf questions. There was a great level of interest from young and old. About 800 people experienced the exhibit the first weekend and more than 400 folks came through the exhibit on the second Saturday as well.

The National Arboretum Grass Roots web page (http://www.usna.usda.gov/ Education/turfgrass.html) is a place with valuable information on turf and the Grass Roots Initiative. The staff will be updating and expanding these pages as the initiative progresses, including a benefits of turf link, ways for homeowners to link to their local turf and lawn information, a more in-depth write-up of answers to questions posed on our banner signs, a complete plant list and updated map of the exhibit site, and other useful info.

The National Turfgrass Federation, based in Beltsville, MD, is also working to develop the National Greenscape Corridor, which is an effort to promote the benefits of turf and urban landscapes at these iconic locations: Arlington National Cemetery, the National Mall, and the National Arboretum. Their first event will be a bike tour in April 2015 with the National Cherry Blossom Festival. o

Advanced Landscape Plant IPM PHC Short Course January 5-8, 2015 For registration information, contact: Avis Koeiman Department of Entomology 4112 Plant Sciences Building University of Maryland College Park, MD 20742 Tel: 301-405-3913 Email: akoeiman@umd.edu  Your Ad Here

Contact wgardenermag@aol.com or call 301.588.6894 for ad rates.

In Our Next Issue JANUARY 2015...

Grow Great Celery

Robinson Nature Center Monkshood (Aconitum napellus)

If your business would like to reach area gardeners, be sure to contact us by January 10 so you can be part of the next issue of our growing publication! oooooooooooooooooooooooo

Be sure you are subscribed!

Send a check or money order for $20.00 payable to Washington Gardener magazine to: Washington Gardener 826 Philadelphia Ave. Silver Spring, MD 20910 DECEMBER 2014

WASHINGTON GARDENER

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TOP AREA GARDENING EVENTS DC-Area Gardening Calendar ~ Upcoming Events ~ Dec. 16, 2014 - Jan. 15, 2015 • Tuesdays, December 16, 23, and 30, 11-11:30am • Fridays, December 19 and 26, 11-11:30am • Saturdays, December 20 and 27, 11-11:30am Gardener’s Focus: Bones of the Winter Garden It may not be as splashy as spring bulbs or summer blooms, but there’s something equally amazing about a peaceful, winter garden. Join Bill Johnson, Hillwood’s horticulturist, for this 20-minute tour during his favorite season in Hillwood’s garden. Limited to 10 per tour. Tickets are distributed at the Visitor Center upon opening each day. Included in suggested donation.

Hillwood Estate, Museum and Gardens, 4155 Linnean Avenue, NW, Washington, DC 20008; HillwoodMuseum.org.

• Daily through December 23 Greens Sales The annual sale of Christmas greens continues weekdays from 9:00am to 5:00pm, Saturday and Sunday from 12:00noon to 4:00pm. The sale features fresh boxwood from the Hammond-Harwood House garden used to create beautiful boxwood wreaths and centerpieces. Hammond-Harwood House Association, 19 Maryland Avenue, Annapolis, MD; www.hammondharwoodhouse.org.

• January 1, 2015 FirstDayHikes Kick-start your New Year’s resolution to keep in shape with an invigorating First Day Hike at a state park near you!

All 50 states are participating in the fourth annual national event, which invites families to celebrate the New Year with guided outdoor adventures.

Last year, more than 27,000 people covered around 66,000 miles on 885 hikes in state parks across the country. Details about each state’s hikes, including locations, length, and starting times are located at www.naspd.org. All participants are encouraged to log their adventures on social media with #FirstDayHike.

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• January 5-8, 2015 Advanced Landscape Plant IPM PHC Short Course For registration information contact: Avis Koeiman, Department of Entomology, 4112 Plant Sciences Building, University of Maryland, College Park, MD 20742. Tel: 301.405.3913 Email: akoeiman@umd.edu.

•Thursday, January 8–Friday, January 9, 2015 The 26th Annual Winter Landscape Design Symposium This two-day conference will explore how to interact with the complex, evolving realities of today’s landscapes and those of the future. To work with the land today means dealing with dramatic change. Factors from landscape fragmentation to accidental species introductions have made it difficult to establish resilient plant communities. Yet increased interest in ecology, landscape performance, and natural aesthetics has created significant need to establish these landscapes successfully and consistently. Held at Science Center Auditorium, Montgomery County Community College, Blue Bell, PA. More details at www.morrisarboretum.org.

• Thursday, January 8, 7:30-9:00 pm Plant Communities: Shaped by Water A Talk by Charles Smith Water is essential for life. Plants are composed mostly of water, which also defines reproductive strategies and vegetative community composition.

Join Charles Smith to explore how these issues are expressed in natural communities in our region, and how changes in land use and climate affect the health and future of our ecosystems. Charles Smith is a native of Arlington, VA. He is a naturalist and ecologist with 22 years of experience, working primarily in natural resource management.Hosted by the Potowmack Chapter of the Virginia Native Plant Society. Held at Green Spring Gardens, 4603 Green Spring Road, Alexandria, VA. VNPS programs are free and open to the public. No reservations are necessary for lectures.

• Saturday, January 10, 10:00am12:00noon Kokedama Workshop Kokedama, literally “moss ball,” is the Japanese art form of encasing the roots of a specially chosen plant in moss.

The moss ball can then be suspended by string or, more traditionally, placed onto a special piece of pottery or driftwood for display. Learn the history and techniques of this garden art and make a kokedama to take home. Instructor Young Choe studied traditional arts in her native Korea before moving to the U.S., where she earned a degree in horticulture and currently works and teaches at the National Arboretum.

Fee: $49 ($39 FONA). Registration required at: http://www.usna.usda.gov/ Education/events.html.

•Saturday, January 10, 9:30am12:00noon Pruning Workshop Barry Stahl is responsible for growing and nurturing the stock of American elms that the National Park Service plants on its lands, including the National Mall. Starting indoors, Barry will provide instruction on the fundamentals of tree pruning and the methods that encourage healthy structural development. Then participants will head to the field, putting these principles into action by pruning American elms at different stages of development. This will involve the use of manual tools ranging from hand pruners to pole saws. American Elm Nursery, 50 Marina Dr, Alexandria, VA. Register at http://caseytrees.org/event/class-pruning-workshop-3/.

• Sunday, January 11, 1:00-3:00pm Consider Carnations Carnations are perfect flowers for lush and substantial winter bouquets or arrangements. They are inexpensive, last well, and come in almost every color. And, though much maligned, they can look elegant! Discover how to play up the carnation’s strengths to create simple yet sophisticated displays.

After the program, enjoy a traditional English tea. Reservations required.

TOP AREA GARDENING EVENTS DC-Area Gardening Calendar ~ Upcoming Events ~ Dec. 16, 2014 - Jan. 15, 2015 $32/person. Ages 13- Adult. Green Spring Gardens, 4603 Green Spring Road, Alexandria, VA 22312. To make reservations, call Historic Green Spring at 703.941.7987.

•Monday, January 12, 8:00-9:30pm Native Plants for a New American Cottage Garden Thomas Rainer, speaker Hosted by the Silver Spring Garden Club It’s time to take a fresh look at the cottage garden. This traditionally British form can be easily adapted for American gardens using American plants.

The charming jumble of perennials and shrubs can be a truly sustainable and beautiful model for small gardens.

American gardeners can have all the advantages of a cottage garden — the romantic appeal, the low maintenance, and the goopy prettiness of it all — with a wildlife-friendly native mix. Meeting at the Montgomery College Takoma Park/ Silver Spring Campus, Health Sciences Center Building in Room 122. Free.

• Tuesday, January 13, 10am-12noon Fairy Gardens Instructor: Joan O’Rourke, Friends of Brookside Gardens Fairy gardens are becoming increasingly popular in the home for many reasons: their miniature plants, tiny accessories, minuscule maintenance needs, to name a few. Create a one-of-a-kind indoor container to take home. Additional accessories will be available for purchase through Marylandica Gift Shop.

Brookside Gardens, Glenallan Avenue, Wheaton, MD. Fee: $49, FOBG: $44; registration required at http://www. montgomeryparks.org/brookside/xperience.shtm. Course number #296449.

•Thursday, January 15, 6:45-8:45pm Serenity in Stone and Sand: Karesansui Gardens of Japan Marc Peter Keane will be giving a seminar at the Smithsonian called “Serenity in Stone and Sand: Karesansui Gardens of Japan.” The two-hour seminar will introduce the history and design of Japanese karesansui gardens as well as take a look at his own work designing contemporary karesansui gardens.

Marc is a garden designer and author from Ithaca, NY, and lived in Japan for 18 years, where he made gardens. Ticket availability and further details can be found on the Smithsonian web site: http://smithsonianassociates.org. Held at the S. Dillon Ripley Center, 1100 Jefferson Drive, SW Washington DC.

Save These Future Dates: Washington Gardener Photo Contest Entry Deadline is January 21, 2015.

See details on page 19.

Washington Gardener Seed Exchanges • January 31, 2015, at Behnke Nurseries in Beltsville, MD • February 7, 2015, at Green Spring Gardens in Alexandria, VA See details on page 6-7.

Philadelphia Flower Show Trips 2015 with Washington Gardener Magazine • March 4, 2015,depart from downtown Silver Spring, MD • March 5, 2015, depart from Behnke Nurseries in Beltsville, MD See details on page 17.

• Washington Gardener Book Club For our first 2015 selection, we will be reading: Tulipomania by Mike Dash.

We are reserving a meeting room at a DC Library for a weekday evening in early February. (We will move the location around to various DC library near public transit for each meeting pending library staff approvals; the location will be confirmed to you when you RSVP.) The library room allows food and drink and you may bring your dinner and/or snacks to share. The other book club selections for 2015 are: ~ Braiding Sweetgrass by Robin Wall Kimmerer ~ Beatrix Potter’s Gardening Life by Marta McDowell ~ Teaching the Trees by Joan Maloof • The 8th annual Rooting DC forum is February 28, 2015. Registration opens January 15 at www.RootingDC.org.

• Green Matters Symposium Friday, February 27, 2015, 8:30am4:00pm

Theme: Protecting our Pollinators This year’s Green Matters will be held at the Silver Spring Civic Center.

• Local Gardening Talk Series with Kathy Jentz on Capitol HIll Mondays, March 9-April 13, 2015 (except Mon March 23), from 6:308:00pm. Cost: $50 per class or $235 for entire series. Register at http://hillcenterdc.org.

Still More Event Listings

See even more event listings on the Washington Gardener Yahoo discussion list. Join the list at http://groups.yahoo. com/group/WashingtonGardener/.

How to Submit Local Garden Events

To submit an event for this listing, please contact: Wgardenermag@aol. com and put “Event” in the email subject head. Our next deadline is January 12 for the January 15 issue, featuring events taking place from January 16February 15, 2015.

HOLIDAY NIGHTS IN DELAWARE: The Brandywine River Museum of Art will be open until 9pm on Thursdays in December, showcasing “A Brandywine Christmas” and one of the largest Ogauge model train displays in the country; regular admission applies. Nemours Mansion and Gardens, in addition to regular holiday tours of the festively decorated home of Alfred I. DuPont, offers two evening tours on December 10 and December 17, 5:30-7:30pm; $15 individual/$13 group tickets.

Rockwood Museum is offering free Candlelight Tours on December 13 and 14, 6 -9pm. Delaware Museum of Natural History’s “Star Party: Meteors” with telescopes and astronomers from the Delaware Astronomical Society looking for Geminid meteors, takes place on December 13, 7 -8:30pm; $3 for members/$5 for nonmembers. Longwood Gardens’ extended holiday hours, in support of its world-famous half-million light display, are in effect through January 11, 9am-10pm; included with admission.

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NEIGHBORnwork

Q&A

with Thomas Rainer

Landscape Architect and Author Text by Kathy Jentz Photos by Dan Weil

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The blog, GroundedDesign.com, has quickly catapulted to the top of many horticultural must-read lists. The blog’s posts are thought-provoking and often inspiring. Its author, Thomas Rainer, describes himself as happiest puttering in his own small Washington, DC, garden. We caught up with him on a recent rainy day to ask him about his obsession with plants and design.

Q: Tell us about you and your background. Are you native to the DC region?

A: No, I grew up in the deep South, mostly in Birmingham, Alabama. I’ve been in the DC-area for 13 years, but will always consider myself a Southerner. I have a soft spot for my family (who are still in the South), SEC football, sweet tea, gumbo, storytelling, and live oak forests.

My horticultural education started at the age of fourteen, when I got a job at a local nursery after school and on weekends. I worked there through college. In college, I studied English and philosophy and was on the verge of entering law school when I read an essay on public space that changed my ambitions. So I applied to landscape architecture schools and several years later received a master’s in Landscape Architecture from the University of Georgia.

One of the most influential parts of my education was the weeks I spent in the field with native plant expert Darrel Morrison, studying native plants in their community of origin, from the Appalachian ridges to the swamps of Okefenokee. It was this whole world of fascinating plants arranged in evocative patterns, a stark contrast to the limited palette of “plant materials” that landscape architects traditionally use.

After grad school, I worked for the firm Oehme, van Sweden and Associates in Washington, DC, until 2009.

I mentored under legendary plantsman, Wolfgang Oehme, and learned to design with perennials and grasses. I got to work on gardens and landscapes all over the Eastern Seaboard, including gardens, estates, rooftops, botanical gardens, and national memorials. In 2009, I joined the landscape architec-

NEIGHBORnwork tural firm Rhodeside & Harwell (RHI) in Alexandria, VA.

reside. And plants will be at the center of it all.

Q: How did you start Grounded Design?

Q: What is a typical day like for you?

A: My wife and I bought that domain name years ago, perhaps thinking we’d do something with it one day. But she got tired of paying for it, so she told me I should do something with it or else she was going to cancel it. She knew I was a bit of a frustrated writer and suggested a blog (probably to divert my soapbox rants from her to a new audience!). I remember how excited I was when my first comment came in . . . even though it was someone in England complaining that “Grounded Design Studio” was the name of their graphic design firm.

It’s been amazing what doors that has opened for me. I’ve put my heart into those posts and, as a result, I’ve been able to connect with wonderful, brilliant gardeners and designers all over the world. It led to me giving talks all over the country and even one in Ireland this winter. And it lead to an offer to write a book for Timber Press that’s coming out in fall 2015.

A: For the last year, I’ve gotten up around 5:40AM to write my book for an hour or so. Then my wife and I get our four-year-old son ready for preschool. We drive together to work. (She also works at RHI with me). Work is different every day. I work with amazing coworkers designing public parks, historic landscapes, urban plazas, streetscapes, and gardens. I love the people I work with. Then we come home, cook dinner, and put our son to bed. After 9pm, I finally have my time to work again on talks, class lectures (I teach at GWU), the book, or my blog.

Q: You call yourself a “horticultural futurist” — can you define that?

A: I’m preoccupied lately with the future of plants in cities. I’m fascinated by the intersection of wild plants and human culture. As the world becomes increasingly urbanized, our desire for an authentic encounter with wildness increases — even as we are losing it. I think this is why the Highline is the most visited site in New York City.

The recent surge in interest in native plants, for example, bears a bit of irony.

We are just now discovering the value of these wild plants at the moment of their definitive decline in the wild.

The good news is that nature is not just in remote mountain tops, but it’s in our cities and suburbs. When I drive through the DC region, I see this archipelago of leftover land — suburban yards, utility easements, parking lots, road right of ways, and drainage channels — not as useless remnants, but as territories of vast potential. This is where the nature of the future will

Q: What mistakes and triumphs have you encountered in gardening in our region?

A: In May, I always feel like a gardening god, but by August, I am entirely humbled. I think the DC-area is a tough climate for gardening. Our summers are downright subtropical. There really aren’t too many perennials that look good after two weeks above 95 degrees. And we can have cold winters, too. So it’s tough.

My biggest mistake was making my soil too fertile. Every gardener is taught that rich, black soil is the goal, but most naturalistic plants actually prefer much leaner soil. Rich soil can shorten the lifespan of many plants and definitely encourages ruderal species like weeds.

My biggest triumph has been an experiment — trying to squeeze more plants into a tiny space by vertically layering plants one on top of another. It’s actually nature’s model, but I’m finally figuring out how to make it work in a garden setting.

Q: What advice would you give to beginners/amateurs home gardeners in the greater DC-area?

A: Just have fun. Loosen up. Be more frivolous. Don’t be afraid to fail. And for crying out loud, don’t ever think of your garden in terms of the real estate mar-

ket or good tastes — those pressures create dreadful spaces.

And remember, above all, gardens do not last. Their purpose is not to endure, but to enchant.

Q: What plants are your favorite to use in the greater DC-area?

A: That’s a tough question: I’m fatally attracted to all plants. Lately, I’ve been obsessed with fine-textured sedges like Carex radiata and Carex pensylvanica.

They make a great matrix in which you can do all kinds of other shady flowers and ferns. I love tough Coral Bells like ‘Autumn Bride.’ And I have a weak spot for the entire Mint (Lamiacaea) and Umbel (Apiaceae) family. Calamintha nepeta and Zizia aurea are two great plants from each of those families.

Q: Conversely, what plants would you advise others to avoid growing?

A: Any invasive groundcover like English Ivy, Pachysandra, or Vinca. Nasty plants like those have wreaked havoc on parks like Rock Creek.

Q: What do you do when it is not the growing season?

A: Give talks about plants, teach classes about plants, and spend ungodly hours looking through plant catalogues planning my spring plantings.

Q: Anything else you want to add or think would be of interest to our magazine readers?

A: I have a book coming out next September called Planting in a Post-Wild World: Designing Plant Communities that Evoke Nature. It was written with Claudia West and it focuses on showing readers how to make their own gardens function more like naturally occurring plant communities — more layered, more resilient, and more beautiful. For gardeners in the DC-area interested in how to combine plants native to our region, it will be a tremendous resource. o Kathy Jentz is editor/publisher of Washington Gardener. She can be reached at wgardenermag@aol.com.

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INSECTindex

Friend or Foe?

by Carol Allen

The most charming poster child for beneficial insects has got to be the Praying Mantis. With its reverently posed “hands” and its big, Disneyesque eyes, who can resist its appeal? It often gets glorified as a garden “beneficial insect,” but all is not as advertised. Let me tell you about its dark side.

Though there are about 2,400 species of Mantids worldwide, in the MidAtlantic states, we usually see only three or four. The least common is our own native Carolina Mantis (Stagmomantis carolina), where it has been outpaced by the introduced species. More commonly, we see either the European Mantis or one of the Asian species.

The European Mantis (Mantis religiosa) was accidently introduced to North America in 1899 on a shipment of nursery plants from Europe. It ranges in size from two to three inches long, can be found in either a green or brown form, and is distinguished from the other species by having a black dot in the “armpit” area of its foreleg.

There are two common species of Asian mantids that might be found in the back yard. The Chinese Mantis (Tenodera siensis) was introduced in 1895 near Philadelphia and the Narrow-winged Mantis (Tenodera angustipennis) was found in Maryland in 1926.

Adults of the Narrow-winged Mantis are about three inches long with the females being slightly larger than the males. They are more slender than the stockier Chinese Mantis and can be easily told apart if placed side by side.

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If you get close enough to tell, the Narrow-winged Mantis has an orange dot between its forelegs and the Chinese has a yellow dot. Both species can be similarly colored, either in shades of green or brown. The Chinese Mantis is our biggest local mantis at about four inches long and is the species most often purchased as an egg case in the garden center.

Praying mantis over-winter as a foamy cluster of eggs and complete one generation per year (though perhaps more in warm areas like Florida). The nymphs hatch in the spring and disperse in search of food. Young praying mantis nymphs have been known to feed on pollen if prey is scarce and will readily feed on each other if dispersal is slow. Mantises rarely move very far from where they have hatched and, if produced from a store-bought egg case, will grow up in that area. Females rarely fly. Males will fly in search of potential mates.

By early fall, the mantids are mature, mate, and the females lay their characteristic foamy egg case. There are many reports of the female eating her hapless lover during copulation, but those instances are rarely observed in nature. This fascinating behavior is frequently seen in laboratory conditions, where it is speculated the females are not well fed. Though perhaps there is sound logic behind that behavior, as the female will lay one or more egg pods and that pod will be about one-third of her body weight. The female is producing those egg cases when the natural insect population is waning and a male

Green Praying Mantis (Stagmomantis carolina) by Doug Canfield. Source: U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.

Praying Mantis:

mantid is a whole lot of protein.

The egg cases are laid on plant material common to the mantis habitat — grasses or twigs are commonly chosen. Its preferred habitat is open, mixed vegetation and that is often a good description of the preferred human habitat as well.

The praying mantis is ideally adapted to its sit-and-wait hunting technique.

The large, folded forelegs snatch prey in a 30,000th- to 50,000ths-of-a-second strike. That is faster than the human eye can follow. Their front legs are spiked to prevent prey from escaping and they do not kill their victims before dining.

The Mantis is the only insect that can turn its head nearly 180 degrees in search of dinner. It has stereoscopic vision and can see at a distance of about 50 feet. With this unusual combination of vision and mobility, the mantis is more attracted to a rapidly moving source of food.

Mantids are indiscriminate hunters.

They will eat just about any small creature that moves. Moths, butterflies, crickets, grasshoppers, flies, spiders, and other beneficial insects can be their prey. Although it is thought that some of the initial importation of mantids was for consumption of agricultural pests, the mantis is not attracted to aphids and other slow-moving insects. It is this propensity to consume other beneficial insects, including butterflies, that makes the mantis an unwelcome visitor in some gardens.

Their color, shape, and behavior perfectly camouflage the mantids from predators. However, they are consumed by birds, other predatory insects when they are nymphs, frogs, toads, and each other. Very few praying mantis young reach maturity.

Children will still find them fascinating in spite of their faults and there is a lively pet trade in various species of praying mantis. I use them as an indicator of a healthy environment. If pesticides* are frequently used in a garden, praying mantis will not be found! o Carol Allen describes herself as a committable plant-a-holic. She has more than 25 years’ experience in the horticulture industry, with a special interest in plant pests and diseases, and is a Licensed Pesticide Applicator in the states of Maryland and Virginia.

Carol can be contacted at carolallen@erols. com. *Please use pesticides safely! Read and heed all label directions!

9th Annual Washington Gardener Philadelphia Flower Show Tour Organized by Washington Gardener Magazine Wednesday, March 4, 2015, 10:00AM-10:00PM Leaving and returning from downtown Silver Spring, MD

The Philadelphia Flower Show is the oldest and largest indoor flower show in the world. The theme for 2015 is ““Lights, Camera, BLOOM! Celebrate the Movies.” Experience the combination of cinema and horticulture as the 186th PHS Philadelphia Flower Show celebrates everyone from Disney to Marilyn Monroe. Join us for a visit to magnificent floral and garden exhibits, special programming, and new attractions like the interactive Butterfly Experience. This is not your grandmother’s Flower Show … but she’s going to love it! The Flower Show attracts non-gardeners as well as die-hard green-thumbed people of all ages. Foodies of all tastes will love the Garden to Table Studio. Participate in the Lectures and Demonstrations series, Gardener’s Studio, and the “Make & Take” workshops. First-time and returning riders will enjoy the welcoming, custom details of our coach service.

Schedule for the day: • 10:00AM Coach leaves downtown Silver Spring with lunch, games, and DVD viewing en route • 12:45-7:15PM Explore Philadelphia Flower Show ~ dinner on your own • 7:30PM Coach departs Philadelphia Convention Center with snacks, games, and DVD showing onboard • 10:00PM Coach arrives at downtown Silver Spring This tour package includes: 1. Charter Passenger Coach — reserved seating, storage under the bus 2. Choice of Gourmet Box Lunch on the way up to the show 3. Snacks for the return trip 4. Listing of nearby restaurants for dinner on your own at the show 5. Information package on the show to assist in prioritizing your day 6. Two Garden DVD showings 7. Admission to the show & driver tip 8. Convenient drop-off and pick-up at downtown Silver Spring, MD 9. Lively show and garden discussions led by Washington Gardener’s Kathy Jentz



To register, please use the form below. (One form per person.)

Name _______________________________________________________________ Address______________________________________________________________ Phone number________________________________________________________ Email________________________________________________________________ Name of seatmate_____________________________________________________ We will try to seat groups together, but cannot guarantee group seating.

Name of group _______________________________________________________

Registration deadline: March 1, 2015

Full refund if canceled by February 7. $40 refunded until February 28.

No refunds after March 3.

Questions?

Kathy Jentz Wgardenermag@aol.com www.WashingtonGardener.com

Brought to you by:

Check/money order #_______ ~ Please make payable to “Washington Gardener” Send this registration form along with your payment to: Washington Gardener, 826 Philadelphia Avenue, Silver Spring, MD 20910

If you’ve never been to the Philadelphia Flower Show, this is your opportunity to escape from the last of winter’s cold winds and experience a garden paradise. Walk through floral wonderlands, take notes at one of the many workshops, enjoy new plants on display, and shop the vendors’DECEMBER tempting array of goodies.

2014 WASHINGTON GARDENER

Code 3/4 Silver Spring

Fee: $100.00 each $95.00 each for Washington Gardener Magazine subscribers

17

You’ve seen those gorgeous garden photos published in magazines and newspapers. Enter this year’s competition and have a chance of getting your winning images published, too! Whether you take the photos in your own backyard, a nearby public garden, or while visiting friends and family in their local gardens, there are so many photographic opportunities to be found. Let’s show off the best in DC-area gardening!

This contest offers an opportunity for all photographers to present their best shots of gardens in the greater Washington, DC area. Contest entries will be judged on technical quality, composition, originality, and artistic merit.

More than $500 in prizes will be awarded! Winning images will be published in Washington Gardener magazine, displayed during the Washington Gardener Seed Exchange, and appear in a local photo exhibit.

SUBMISSION GUIDELINES

Each entrant is limited to a total of 10 images. Each electronic file must be identified with your last name and entry category. For example, JonesGardenCreature1.jpg or SmithSmallWonders8.jpg.

All photographs should accurately reflect the subject matter and the scene as it appeared in the viewfinder.

Nothing should be added to an image and, aside from dust spots, nothing should be removed. Cropping and minor adjustments to electronic images to convert RAW files are acceptable.

If an image is selected as a finalist, a high-resolution digital file might be required before finalizing our results.

Digitally captured images should be taken at the camera’s highest resolution (3 megapixels or larger). For preliminary judging, digital files must be submitted in JPEG format sized to 1,000 pixels on the longest side at 300 dpi.

If photos are taken with a film camera, they must be scanned in and submitted in JPEG format sized to 1,000 pixels on the longest side at 300 dpi.

Before sending us your CD-ROMs, verify their integrity by making sure they are readable and not damaged. We reserve the right to disqualify any disk that is unreadable or defective. Please 18

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9TH ANNUAL PHOTO CONTEST check your CDs with the latest virus detection software. We will disqualify any disk that may contain a virus or a suspicious file.

Label each CD and case with your full name. We strongly suggest mailing CDs in a protective cases. We are not responsible for disks damaged during shipping. No CDs will be returned but they can be picked up after judging.

Send your entries and entry fee to: Washington Gardener Photo Contest, 826 Philadelphia Ave., Silver Spring, MD 20910. Mailed entries must be received by January 21, 2015.

Contest entries can also be submitted via email to DCGardenPhotos@aol. com. Use the subject line “WG Photo Contest” and include an entry form for each image in your email’s text field.

You can print out blank entry forms from the Washington Gardener blog, Facebook page, or at www.

WashingtonGardener.com.

We will verify all entry receipts so please ensure your email address is included on all items.

Entrants must not infringe on the rights of any other photographer, landowner, or other person. Photos involving willful harassment of wildlife or destruction of any property are unacceptable.

The entrant must have personally taken the photo. By entering, you state this is your work and it is free of copyright elsewhere.

Failure to comply with any contest guidelines will lead to disqualification.

COPYRIGHT NOTE

category or submit all 10 in one category.

Photo must have been taken during the 2014 calendar year in a garden located within a 150-mile radius of the Capitol Building in Washington, DC. • Garden Views: Beautiful, dramatic, or unusual perspectives of a garden landscape, including wide shots showing the setting. Subject can be a private or public garden.

• Garden Vignettes: Groupings of plants in beds or containers, unusual color or texture combinations, garden focal points, and still scenes. Subject can be photographed in a private or public garden.

• Small Wonders: Tight close-up images or macro shots of single flowers, plant parts, fruits, vegetables, etc.

Subject can be photographed in a private or public garden.

• Garden Creatures: Images of insects, birds, frogs, domestic pets, etc., in a private or public garden setting.

PRIZES

Prizes include gift certificates to area camera stores, gardening tools, new plant introductions, and much more!

If you would like to be a prize donor or sponsor, please contact us today.

WINNERS’ OBLIGATION

Photo contest winners will need to provide a high-resolution version of their image for publication and an 11x14 print suitable for framing. Winners may be asked to provide additional information for press and media coverage.

Your entry to this contest constitutes your agreement to allow your photographs and your name, city, state, and photo description texts to be published in upcoming issues of Washington Gardener and used for other related purposes including, but not limited to, Washington Gardener Photo Contest promotions, online, live presentations, and gallery exhibits. Entrants retain ownership and all other rights to future use of their photographs.

CONTEST ENTRY FEE

CATEGORIES

QUESTIONS?

Each entrant is limited to a total of 10 images. You may submit a few in each

The entry fee is $15.00 or $10.00 for current Washington Gardener Magazine subscribers. The fee includes up to 10 total image submissions per entrant.

Please send a check or money order made out to “Washington Gardener” or send a payment via www.PayPal.com to DCGardenPhotos@aol.com.

DEADLINE

Entries due by January 21, 2015.

Please call 301.588.6894 or email DCGardenPhotos@aol.com. o

KNOWitall

Ask the Expert

by Debra Ricigliano

using a small paintbrush or cotton swab to transfer pollen from one flower to another. Use a fertilizer labeled for citrus plants according to label directions from late February through early fall. Prune the tree to shape it before moving it outdoors after the danger of frost has past.

Too-Acidic Compost

My neighbor has given me bags of oak leaves and pine needles that I want to add to my compost pile. I imagine that these will make the compost acidic and was wondering if I should add some lime to adjust the pH. If so, how much lime should I add?

Growing Citrus Indoors

I love to cook and I grow many herbs to use in my dishes. I also love houseplants and would like to expand into growing some type of citrus tree indoors. Is this possible?

Growing citrus fruits indoors has been a pursuit since Victorian times. Many impressive greenhouses were built by wealthy people in the US to grow this type of fruit. Obviously, having a greenhouse would be the best-case scenario, but it is possible to grow a citrus plant without one. Ponderosa lemon, Meyer lemon, Persian lime, and Calamondin orange can be container-grown and are sold as houseplants.

Place your plant in a full-sun location where it would receive direct sunlight for at least part of the day, or use a grow light. Standard room temperatures are suitable but citrus plants prefer high humidity, so place the container on a shallow tray filled with moist pebbles.

When citrus plants are stressed, they become susceptible to scale insects and spider mites. Be on the lookout for these pests because they can be very damaging. Citrus plants need a slightly acidic pH, so a peat-based potting mixture works well. Allow the top inch or so of potting media to dry out between waterings.

When in flower indoors, aid pollination by gently shaking the flowers or

Water only when the soil feels dry to the touch. Place it in a room with temperatures between 65-75° F, but avoid spots near drafty doors and windows or a heat vent or fireplace. Cooler room temperatures overnight will prolong the flowering period.

Fertilizer is not necessary during blooming. After the holiday season is over and the bracts begin to fall, you can either discard the plant or keep it as a houseplant. For information on growing the plant for a second season of bloom, refer to our publication HG 30: Holiday Plant Care: Poinsettia found at http://www.extension.umd.edu/hgic.

Look under “Information Library.”

Oak leaves and pine needles do tend to be on the acidic side, but once they have finished breaking down, the finished compost has a pH close to neutral (7.0). It is not necessary to add lime to your pile. Also, lime can actually drive nitrogen out of the compost pile in the form of ammonia gas. We recommend shredding the leaves and pine needles, if possible, as this will help to hasten decomposition, accelerating the composting process.

Trimming Evergreens

Poinsettia Care Tips

Debra Ricigliano is a Certified Professional Horticulturalist. She has worked as a horticulture consultant for the University of Maryland Extension Home and Garden Information Center since 1997. Debra enjoys gardening at her home in Highland, MD. She is a graduate of the Institute of Applied Agriculture at UMCP and a talented, all-around horticulturist. To ask a gardening or pest question, go to http://www. extension.umd.edu/hgic and click on “Ask Maryland’s Garden Experts.” You can also attach a digital photo.

Can you give me some tips on caring for the beautiful poinsettia that my son gave to me for the holidays?

Important points to consider when taking care of a poinsettia are proper light, water, and room temperature. They prefer bright, indirect light, such as filtered sunlight through a sheer curtain.

Poinsettia plants should be watered thoroughly, taking care not to drown them. Remove or cut the decorative foil from the bottom of the container to ensure the water will drain. Also, avoid letting them sit in water-filled saucers, which can lead to root problems.

Is it okay to trim evergreen shrubs now?

They are growing above my living room window and I really need to trim them back. Will this cold weather cause any damage if I do prune them?

Pruning advice is based on the type of evergreen you have planted.

“Evergreen” is too general a term to give you the specific timing. Generally, spring-blooming evergreens like azaleas and rhododendrons should be pruned after they bloom. Hollies and boxwood certainly can be pruned in the cold weather and the clippings can be used for holiday decorating. Usually, you can prune most shrubs when they are fully dormant without doing serious damage.

Another rule of thumb: do not prune out more than 25-30% of the branches or stems at one time, unless you are doing major renovation pruning. o

DECEMBER 2014

WASHINGTON GARDENER

19

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MARCH/APRIL 2005 • Landscape DIY vs. Pro • Prevent Gardener’s Back • Ladew Topiary Gardens • Cherry Trees

MAY/JUNE 2007 • Roses: Easy Care Tips • Native Roses & Heirloom Roses • Edible Flowers • How to Plant a Bare-root Rose

MAY/JUNE 2005 • Stunning Plant Combinations • Turning Clay into Rich Soil • Wild Garlic • Strawberries

JULY/AUGUST 2007 • Groundcovers: Alternatives to Turfgrass • How to Pinch, Prune, & Dead-head •William Paca House & Gardens • Hardy Geraniums

JULY/AUGUST 2005 • Water Gardens • Poison Ivy • Disguising a Sloping Yard • Kenilworth Aquatic Gardens

SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2007 • Succulents: Hardy to our Region • Drought-tolerant Natives • Southern Vegetables • Seed Saving Savvy Tips

SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2005 • Container Gardens • Clematis Vines • Sponge Gardening/Rain Gardens • 5 Insect Enemies of Gardeners

NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2007 • Gardening with Children • Indoor Bulb Forcing Basics • National Museum of the American Indian • Versatile Viburnums

NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2005 • Backyard Bird Habitats • Hellebores • Building a Coldframe • Bulb Planting Basics

JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2008 • Dealing with Deer • Our Favorite Garden Tools • Indoor Bulb Forcing Basics • Delightful Daffodils

JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2006 • Garden Decor Principles • Primroses • Tasty Heirloom Veggies • U.S. Botanic Garden

MARCH/APRIL 2008 • Patio, Balcony, Rooftop Container Gardens • Our Favorite Garden Tools • Coral Bells (Heucheras)

MARCH/APRIL 2006 • Top 10 Small Trees and Large Shrubs • Azaleas • Figs, Berries, & Persimmons • Basic Pruning Principles MAY/JUNE 2006 • Using Native Plants in Your Landscape • Crabgrass • Peppers • Secret Sources for Free Plants JULY/AUGUST 2006 • Hydrangeas • Theme Gardens • Agave • Find Garden Space by Growing Up

JULY/AUGUST 2008 • Landscaping with Ornamental Grasses • Edible Grasses to Graze On • Slug and Snail Control • Sage Advice: Sun-loving Salvias SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2008 • Autumn Edibles — What to Plant Now • Beguiling Barrenworts (Epimediums) • Best Time to Plant Spring-blooming Bulbs • 14 Dry Shade Plants Too Good to Overlook

SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2006 • Shade Gardening • Hosta Care Guide • Fig-growing Tips and Recipes

NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2008 • Outdoor Lighting Essentials • How to Prune Fruiting Trees, Shrubs, Vines • 5 Top Tips for Overwintering Tender Bulbs • Harry Lauder’s Walking Stick

NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2006 • Horticultural Careers • Juniper Care Guide • Winter Squash Growing Tips and Recipes • Layer/Lasagna Gardening

JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2009 • Compost Happens: Nature’s Free Fertilizer • Managing Stormwater with a Rain Garden • Visiting Virginia’s State Arboretum • Grow Winter Hazel for Winter Color

JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2007 • Indoor Gardening • Daphne Care Guide • Asparagus Growing Tips and Recipes • Houseplant Propagation

MARCH/APRIL 2009 UT! • 40+ Free and Low-cost Local D O Garden Tips SOL • Spring Edibles Planting UT! Guide O LD for a Fresh Start • Testing Your OSoil T! S Selection and Care OUTree • Redbud OLD Viewing Spots for Virginia Bluebells • SBest

MARCH/APRIL 2007 • Stormwater Management • Dogwood Selection & Care Guide • Early Spring Vegetable Growing Tips • Franciscan Monastery Bulb Gardens

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MAY/JUNE 2008 — ALMOST SOLD OUT! • Growing Great Tomatoes • Glamorous Gladiolus • Seed Starting Basics • Flavorful Fruiting Natives

WASHINGTON GARDENER

MAY/JUNE 2009 • Top Easy Summer Annuals for DC Heat • Salad Table Project • Grow and Enjoy Eggplant • How to Chuck a Woodchuck

DECEMBER 2014

SUMMER 2009 • Grow Grapes in the Mid-Atlantic • Passionflowers • Mulching Basics • Growing Hops FALL 2009 • Apples • How To Save Tomato Seeds • Persimmons WINTER 2009 • Battling Garden Thugs • How to Start Seeds Indoors • Red Twig Dogwoods • Unusual Edibles to Grow in Our Region SPRING 2010 • Community Gardens • Building a Raised Bed • Dwarf Iris • Broccoli SUMMER 2010 • Fragrance Gardens • Watering Without Waste • Lavender • Potatoes FALL 2010 • Vines and Climbers • Battling Stink Bugs • Russian Sage • Garlic WINTER 2010 • Paths and Walkways • Edgeworthia • Kohlrabi SPRING 2011 • Cutting-Edge Gardens • Final Frost Dates and When to Plant • Bleeding Hearts • Onions SUMMER 2011 • Ornamental Edibles • Urban Foraging • Amsonia/Arkansas Blue Star • Growing Corn in the Mid-Atlantic FALL 2011 • Herb Gardens • Toad Lilies • Sweet Potatoes • Cool Weather Cover Crops WINTER 2011 - EARLY SPRING 2012 • Green Roofs and Walls • Heaths and Heathers • Radishes SPRING 2012 • Pollinator Gardens • Brunnera: Perennial of the Year • Growing Yacon SUMMER 2012 • Tropical Gardens • Captivating Canna • Icebox Watermelons SPRING 2013 • Great Garden Soil • All About Asters • Squash Vine Borer SUMMER/FALL 2013 • Miniature/Faerie Gardens • Beguiling Abelias • Growing Great Carrots WINTER/EARLY SPRING 2014 • Ferns for Mid-Atlantic • Chanticleer Gardens • Beet Growing Basics

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